Vikings defensive line rated among 5 worst in NFL

The Minnesota Vikings shifted toward a younger, cheaper roster this offseason but they still have areas of need to address.

On Tuesday, Pro Football Focus rated Minnesota’s defensive line as one of the worst in the NFL — 30th of 32 teams — and the worst in the NFC North.

Some of that is to be expected, as the team moved on from Danielle Hunter — PFF’s 28th-ranked edge player last season — and failed to add an interior pass-rusher. However, it will also depend on what the Vikings get from rookie first-rounder Dallas Turner.

Jonathan Greenard, Hunter’s replacement, ranked as PFF’s 30th-best edge player last season and Andrew Van Ginkel rated seventh but PFF doesn’t seem to put much stock into their performances, particularly the latter’s.

“The Vikings' offseason free agency swap of Danielle Hunter for Jonathan Greenard was likely a downgrade, even if they got younger and cheaper in the process. Andrew Van Ginkel earned a 91.1 PFF overall grade last season, but that was a massive outlier in a career that has typically seen him post grades in the 60s and 70s,” PFF said.

While PFF’s assessment isn’t necessarily wrong, it may be discounting the fact that Van Ginkel was still rated as a top-35 player in 2022 and a top-15 player in 2020, and his fit and familiarity with defensive coordinator Brian Flores should also be viewed favorably.

That being said, the rest of Minnesota’s defensive line additions this offseason aren’t as highly rated, and it’s hard to argue that the interior of the D-line needs improvement.

Harrison Phillips is a solid run defender while former Chargers first-round pick Jerry Tillery is an OK pass-rusher, but the Vikings lack an impact player on the interior.

Tillery had the highest 2023 grade from PFF among Vikings interior defenders, coming in 40th of 130. Phillips was at 65th, Jonah Williams is 88th and Jonathan Bullard ranked 115th.

As for the backup edge rushers, Jihad Ward ranked 109th of the 112 players rated by PFF while Patrick Jones II was 112th.

The good news is the Vikings currently have more than $26 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap, and are projected to have more than $54.5 million in room next year to potentially address the line.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports